U.S. water infrastructure in crisis as a result of lack of investment
Lawmakers often find it easier to make the case for more capital spending on port infrastructure than on water treatment projects. They note that investing in maritime infrastructure leads to more economic activity and jobs. Spending on water infrastructure, on the other hand, is not always considered urgent, but failure to invest in it could be devastating. In many regions of the country, water quality is deteriorating. Sewage from old and inadequate wastewater treatment plants is pouring into rivers, more beaches are temporarily closing because of fecal contamination, and rivers are regularly contaminated by big chemical, sewage, and oil spills.
The 2012 National Coastal Condition Report rates the ecological and environmental conditions in U.S. coastal waters as fair. “Lake Erie is so polluted by phosphorous, giving rise to toxic algae,” that Toledo, Ohio last year was forced to shut down its drinking water plant, which supplies 400,000 residents, reported Circle of Blue.
Just as contamination levels of the nation’s rivers are rising, droughts continue in Texas, California, and the Great plains. The Homeland Security News Wire reported last week that water has become so scarce in parts of California that municipalities are fining residents for water overuse (see “California exploring water purification, imports, and conservation as water situation worsens,” HSNW, 20 March 2015).
As states and cities deal with budget cuts and austerity measures, the federal government has to take initiative on investing in water infrastructure. During the 1970s and 1980s, Americans demanded cleaner supplies of fresh water and the federal government covered most of the expense for new sewage treatment plants. Under grant programs, U.S. taxpayers provided $60 billion ($180 billion in 2015 dollars) for new water treatment facilities. By 1977, more than 70 percent of all capital spending for drinking water and sewage infrastructure came from the federal government, the CBO notes.
Some lawmakers today recognize the urgency of improving America’s water infrastructure and are taking the lead on water improvements. Last week, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), Harry Reid (D-Nevada), and Barbara Boxer (D-California) introduced S.741, The Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act to help local communities meet the “challenges of upgrading water infrastructure systems to meet the hydrological changes we are seeing today.” If passed, the bill will direct the EPA to establish a Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability program to award grants to eligible water systems to make necessary upgrades.
“Our water infrastructure is in a state of crisis that is only exacerbated by the effects of climate change, growing populations and demand. The longer we ignore the problem, the more it costs us,” said Senator Cardin, a senior member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. “There is no need to lose billions in revenue from disrupted business and flooded streets. We are in a crisis that can be averted. We have no other choice but to elevate investments in our water infrastructure to a public safety priority and to take action.”
